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This Simple Wooden Platform Has a Poignant History on Capitol Hill

By D.A. Banks
Posted November 17, 2017 at 5:19pm

By D.A. Banks

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The catafalque, draped in black cloth, was hastily built in 1865 to support President Abraham Lincoln’s coffin as it lay in state in the Rotunda. Since then, the catafalque has been used to honor presidents, generals, the remains of unknown soldiers and even civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.

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